The loose free painting style with figures drawn with a stick is a favorite way to work!

Most mornings on the outer Cape this is pretty much our bike ride. After you open the link I suggest clicking “large” , selecting Sat for satellite, then zooming out few clicks to see it all.

It’s a little over 20 miles. Check it out in both map and satellite mode. John likes the Portuguese Bakery in Provincetown a lot. It’s a good goal when you are thinking about NOT doing the ride. I am a little resistant though their fig squares are hard to resist, so I get one every few days! I used to get up from a deep sleep, put on bike clothes, get water and go. Now I have a coffee and granola and blue berries before I go, so I am not always ready for pastry. But I do stop and look at things- architecture in Provincetown and nature in Province Lands, which is way out at the end of Cape Cod and a contrast to Provincetown. I totally LOVE them both!

Province Lands is 3,500 acres of national parkland on the other side of Route 6 from Provincetown itself. The tract was named the Province’s Lands in 1691 when the Massachusetts Bay Colony became a royal province as it absorbed Plymouth Colony and the land that had belonged to the Pilgrims (and absorbed Maine as well). It’s a geological and biological wonder that stands in relative obscurity and is unknown to 1000’s who visit Provincetown.

If I am really thirsty for a soda and need air conditioning and a great bathroom when I am out biking in Provincelands I go to the Provincetown Airport, right in the heart of Province Lands. I used to always transition to the 7 mile Province Lands Bike Trail after Provincetown but since we get up early not many are on the road yet so now I just go on the roads all through Province Lands. I still love the bike trail though! It’s a roller coaster through the dunes, and recently repaved. It gets no where near as much bike traffic as on many bike trails you may have tried because it is challenging, hilly, fast and it’s like biking in a desert climate because it IS! If you cannot do it, and you do not know someone with a 4 wheel drive vehicle and an oversands beach driving pass, I recommend Art’s Dune Tours.

Some good stuff here about poet Mary Oliver and P-town and P-lands.

2011 was the 5oth anniversary of President Kennedy creating the Cape Cod National Seashore.